A Lasting Legacy: How One Faculty Member's Research Lives On

Northwestern Medicine is home to renowned researchers and physicians. Their work pushes the bounds of knowledge and their leadership transforms their profession. Long after their time here has ended, history clearly remembers their contributions.

Publication analyses can show us how historical works continue to have influence today: informing research, providing context, and guiding discovery. One such example is the work of Dr. Benjamin Boshes, a prominent psychiatrist and former chair of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry at Northwestern University from 1951 to 1969, and the Department of Neurology from 1969 – 1975. Dr. Boshes received all of his degrees from Northwestern (BS 1929; MD 1931; MS 1934; PhD 1938). He contributed to the war effort with his work on the effects of flight on the brain and served in World War II as a consultant to the Selective Service, and then a Lieutenant Colonel in the Mediterranean Theater of Operation where he was the chief of neurology and psychiatry for the Fifth Army.

Dr. Boshes published his first peer-reviewed article in 1934 and his last publication in 1981; in total he published over 106 documents indexed in Elsevier’s Scopus database. Although he passed away almost 33 years ago in 1984, Dr. Boshes’ work continues to be cited. Since 1970, as far back as Scopus’s cited reference data goes, his works have received over 900 citations from authors in 53 countries and 11 languages.

His most highly cited work (see citation below) received 28 citations in 2016 and continues to be of interest in today’s scholarly landscape.

Dr. Boshes was a prolific writer, appealing to his audience with common sense and deep understanding for his patients. He wrote about emerging treatments in neurology in the Quarterly Bulletin of the Northwestern University Medical School in 1954:

“This new approach to neurology is what we must teach our students; a living dynamic science, with a plan of care for each patient, not a label. It must be neurology integrated with medicine, surgery and other disciplines.”

Want to learn more about the Feinberg School of Medicine’s notable researchers? Then take time to enjoy Galter Library’s upcoming summer exhibit on Northwestern notable researchers in the McGaw Pavilion lobby from July – September 2017. This exhibit is a joint effort from Galter Library’s Special Collections and the Metrics and Impact Core. If you need assistance with your own publication summary, begin by contacting your liaison librarian.

Resources:

Boshes B. The Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases, Northwestern University Medical School. Quarterly Bulletin of the Northwestern University Medical School. 1954;28(1):92-97. PMC3803215